Who Should Play Blofeld?

Last week it was announced EON Production have regained the rights to one of the most famous villains in film history, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. James Bond will face his greatest nemesis sooner or later to celebrate we at Entertainment Fuse Movies share our top picks to play the role. Steven's Choice: James Spader Not that this will ever happen, but I think it would be kinda cool. James Spader as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, head of SPECTRE. The man has a history of playing some real out there, layered characters. He has played guys with edge, darkness, humor and done it in a way that is almost hypnotic and very charming. Considering the success of NBC's new psychological thriller Blacklist,  due largely to the gravitas that Spader brings, I think he would make a great Blofeld for these Daniel Craig era Bond films, which feel much more serious and cerebral than they ever have. Spader's Blofeld would be one that wouldn't become a parody of itself in this new continuity that has been established and would also be one infused with a dark humor that only Spader could bring. Simon's Choice: Tom Wilkinson The way I look at it, even more important than emulating Blofeld’s iconic features such as (in some of his more famed incarnations at least) a ghastly scar, bald head and white cat is capturing the supervillian’s nuanced menace and off kilter charisma. A return for this famed Bond antagonist would need to put up a fight of the mind as well as one that would challenge his espionage and physical skills. Tom Wilkinson is one such man – an actor who can deliver strings of powerful dialogue and monologues that effortlessly deliver chills. His expressive face and innate charismatic dominance when facing off against other characters, be they the protagonist or villain of the film, makes him one of the premier working thesps and one that could bring 007’s nemesis back to life in a larger than life way. Kieran's Choice: Mark Strong There are plenty of actors who I would love to see play Bond greatest villain, such as Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Bruno Ganz, Vincent Cassel and Ken Watanbe just to name a few. But my vote will go to Mark Strong, who has again and again, shown himself to be a strong actor (pun very much intended) and has impressed constantly, in villainous roles, such as Kick-Ass, Sherlock Holmes and Robin Hood. He has the physical presence to be a threatening villain, has plenty of menace and can easily pull offer the bald look. But the main reason I have picked Strong is his versatility: he was born in London, his parents are Austrian and Italian and he can speak German and Italian. In the past he has played character from English, Italian-American, South African, German, Russian and Arab backgrounds. Because of this Strong could easily play a mysterious man, from a mysterious background leading a mysterious organization. Ruben's Choice: Michael Shannon Michael Shannon has proven himself to be a phenomenal actor, in both indie films and major blockbusters. Seeing him as the leader of SPECTRE, would be an interesting one, in that he must be not as intense as he typically is and must use his acting muscles to play the evil genius. His performance as General Zod in this year's Man of Steel, showed how he can command a presence and truly carry a film. While Blofeld typically cares for anonymity, Shannon's version could add a bit of ferocity, unlike we've ever seen from the classic Bond villain. Melisa's Choice: Timothy Dalton Where you mystified as well by the mention of the James Bond character Blofeld? I've seen a few Bond films, but I've been mostly limited to the current iteration of Daniel Craig films and a few of Sean Connery's. Therefore I had no idea who Blofeld was. A simple Google search left me feeling a bit silly when I realized that Dr. Evil of Austin Powers - a rather unsubtle Bond parody- is based off of Blofeld. Feeling slightly better informed (and be warned none of the following should be taken too seriously) I picked none other than Timothy Dalton to play the role. Since I clearly have no respect for the Bond universe, who better than the ex-007 with a great portfolio of villainous characters to step into the shoes of Blofeld? However, any actor who's portrayed Bond before would work, because it would be wonderfully blasphemous.